Ready Or Not
by The UnderDogs
Summary: Kim Crawford has a hard life. Her dad has cancer, her sister is autistic, and her mom died when they were born. She has to work hard at Karate to win tournaments to make money for her family. But when her dad dies, what will happen to her and her sister?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, it's The UnderDogs. As I have confessed before, I'm kind of obsessed with Olivia Holt. I don't have a crush on her, I just like writing about her. So yeah, this story came out of it. I want to say that as a habit of mine, with every new chapter I will shout out 2 of my amazing reviewers, and list some good things in mah life. Well, enjoy!**

Kim's pov

"Hey." I said sleepily as I walked into the dojo.

"Hey." Everyone replied, not looking up.

Rudy walked out of his office.

"Kim, practice started an hour ago! Where were you?" He demanded.

"Sorry Rudy, I was at my house taking care of my dad." I said quietly, yawning.

"How is he?" Rudy asked, his angry voice turning soft.

"The same as always. Tired and grumpy. I guess I can't blame him-I'd be sad if I was in his position too."

"I hope he gets better."

"Me too."

Rudy turned and began talking to Milton about his routine, and I walked into the bathroom to change into my gi. I entered, pulling my phone out of my bag as it rang.

"Hello?" I asked sleepily.

"K-k-Kim?" Asked a small shaky voice.

"Hey Maggie. What's up?" I said, holding my phone with my shoulder and taking off my sweater with my hands.

"C-c-come home pl-please." She stuttered.

I smiled. Maggie was my twin sister, but she was autistic, had asthma, and had some speaking problems. She only started interacting with people a year ago when she turned 14, and even now as a 15 year old she only talked to me and my father. She was shy, even without the autism, which didn't really help when we tried to get her to talk to more people.

"Why?" I asked, sorting through my bag for a hair brush.

No answer on the other end. Then the line went dead.

"Maggie?"

Nothing.

"MAGGIE!"

I pulled my sweater back over my head and threw my things into my bag.

"Sorry Rudy, I have to go see what's wrong at home. I think Maggie got hurt or something-I'll be back tomorrow!" I shouted as I ran out of the door.

I felt dead as I sprinted towards my house, and my eyelids drooped dangerously when I had to stop for a red light. I started to fall, but caught myself and started running again. When I reached my house I heard nothing. I pulled the key from my pocket and unlocked the door. I ran inside and into the living room where my dad slept. Maggie was curled in the corner of the room, and her eyes were wide with panic.

"What's wrong?" I asked her.

My ferocity scared her, and she curled into a smaller ball. She kept glancing at dad.

Dad...

I ran over to where he was laying, and grabbed his wrist to check for a pulse. There was nothing. Nothing. Nothing...

Jacks pov

I picked up my phone, and saw a text from Kim. Ever since she ran out yelling about her sister, I had been thinking of her. I looked at the message, and dropped my phone back into my bag.

"Rudy, I have to go! Kim needs help of something like that." I said, throwing my stuff into my bag.

"What?" Asked Rudy.

"Her sister just sent me a text. At least, I think it was her sister. I have to go. Sorry!" I said, running out.

Kim's pov

When I open my eyes I can see Jack's face. I sit up slowly, looking around the room. I can tell what happened-I fainted, Maggie texted Jack, and Jack was here now. But where was Maggie?

"She's in the kitchen." Jack explained, seeing the look of panic on my face.

Maggie poked her head out around the corner, then waked slowly with her head down past Jack, and hugged me. She recoiled immediately, and curled into a ball in her corner. She began to breathe heavily, and I looked over, concerned.

"It's okay." I told her. "We're all okay. Jack is here to help us."

She almost disappeared into the corner. I didn't understand why she was being so paranoid, but then again, Jack was here with only me and her.

Maybe a little backstory would help.

My name is Kimberly (Kim) Crawford. My dad, Joseph (Joe) Crawford has cancer, and my twin sister Maggie Crawford is autistic and has asthma. My mom, Emma Crawford, died while giving birth to me and Maggie. I think secretly Maggie feels bad about that, but I try to subtly tell her it's not her fault. I've been living in Seaford for most of my life, but I was originally born in Portland Oregon. I moved here when I was 9, and started karate at the Black Dragon dojo. Then, Jack came to town, and convinced me to transfer to the Bobbi Wasabi dojo. He changed my life, and I'm always going to owe him for that. Some people say that I have a crush on him. I normally say shut up. But Maggie does know the truth.

I like Jack Brewer.

And back to the present.

"Jack, what's gonna happen after this?" I asked as the police arrived.

"I don't know. Do you and your sister have any relatives or anything?" He asked.

"No, they all died." A small tear trailed down my face. "I'm all alone, Jack."

"You're not alone. You have Maggie, and Milton, and Jerry. You have me." He said the last part shyly, looking up at me with his chocolate brown eyes.

I stayed silent. I wanted to be Maggie. I wanted to have an excuse to curl into a ball and ignore everyone. I didn't want to have to talk to people and explain what happened. I didn't want to tell them about...

About mom.

**Okay, guys. Left you with a cliff hanger this chapter. This was a intro chapter, so the others will be a little shorter. Shit! I just dropped my Nutela bread on my laptop. I have to go clean this up. Hope you liked it, and make sure to review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, it's The UnderDogs. I have good news! I apologized to my friend, and she forgave me for lying! I still can't believe she was nice enough to forgive me. If you want to go check out her account and stories, her name is The UnderDog 2. Also, huge shout out to everyone who reviewed. I haven't gotten this many reviews for just one chapter in forever! So thanks for sticking with me.**

The real reason Emma Crawford died wasn't because of me and Maggie. It was because she also had cancer. It was in her blood. But she still wanted children, more than anything else. So she told dad that they should at least try, and then they got lucky and had us. That's what dad always told us, anyway.

So did Maggie or I have cancer? Was it possible that one of us could... Could die for the same reason as our mom and dad? What if it was me? What if it was...

Jack was talking again.

"And when we get to my house we can set up a temporary room for you and your sister, okay?"

"Jack..." I whispered.

"What's wrong, Kim?" He asked me, frowning.

"I-we want to stay here. At least, I do. We'll be fine on our own, and besides, you live right next door."

"Kim, are you sure?" Asked Jack, looking worried.

"I'm sure, Jack. We'll be fine. Right Maggie?"

I looked at my sister, but she was asleep, oblivious to the fact that one choice, my choice, would someday change her life.

**So, I have an announcment. Announcement? Idk how to spell. But my chapters might be getting shorter, because now instead of just one story, I have three. I'm really sorry about this, and I'll do my best to keep updating. If anyone has any ideas for the story, pm them to me or just put in a review! Thanks.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, its The UnderDogs. This isn't gonna be a new chapter, and I'm sorry for that. But I have a few serious things to say. First, I got a new laptop! Its a Windows 2000 or something. I'm still trying to figure it out. If you guys know about any cool tricks, please tell me! Second is a little more serious. I got permission to tell you guys who this story is about. You might already know if your loike me and read reviews of peoples stories. This story is about my friend, one of my best friends, The UnderDog 2. Previously known as TheDeformedLlama. She has a 17% chance of having cancer, and because she's one of my best friends, and my valentine, I decided I was going to write this story for her. So if you like it, please leave me a review, and then go over to her account, read her story, and tell her you hope she doesn't have cancer. Thanks for sticking with us, and we'll try our best to stick with you.**

**Stay strong forever.**

**UnderDogs**

**P.S. To join the UnderDogs, you don't have to change your account name, but you can. If you're curious about what UnderDogs are, read my profile.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys, its The UnderDogs. Are you guys getting tired of that intro? I don't know, I kind of like it. It has a ring to it for me. Remember when my username was just Strong? My intro was "Hey guys, its Strong" every time. Well, I want to definitely shout out CompleteFamilyAndLife and Autmn1999, because I haven't seen them comment on my stories before, and I always love it when new people read my stories. Anyway, I really hope you enjoy.**

"Kim." Jack said. "You don't actually think I'm gonna let you stay here alone. Anything could happen to you!"

"Jack, one, I wont be alone, and two, I'm a second degree black belt. I can take care of myself."

"Kim, I know that. I just don't want you to take any chances. You don't have to prove anything to me, I know you can take care of yourself. Its just-"

"Why do you care so much, oh mighty _third _degree black belt." I asked, my temper flaring.

"I just don't want you to get hurt." Jack said, putting up his hands in surrender.

"We'll be fine, Jack. I just want to stay here for now."

"Okay, Kim. But if you need me, I'll be right next door."

"Kay." I said.

Jack left, looking back at me over his shoulder once before walking back to his house.

"Maggie." I said, dragging her name out until it was more like a question. She raised her head.

"We're going on a car trip, kay?" I said, and she nodded, having no idea what I meant by 'car trip' and not really caring anyway.

I got into the car. Technically it wasn't illegal, because I already had my learners permit. I looked out the window to make sure Jack didn't see me get in, then motioned for Maggie to follow. I drove shakily down the road, making a few wrong turns before we ended up at the hospital. I knew the route by heart; I was always the one who would drive dad down there for his checkups. I handed the keys to the valet **(I think that's what its called, the guy who takes your car where its pronounced like ballet with a "v")** and opened the door for Maggie, who slid out of her seat and onto the ground.

"Hey, Kim. What are you doing here?" Asked one of the nurses, Annie.

"I'm guessing you heard about dad." I said flatly.

"I'm so sorry, dear. I did. Do you need a place to stay? Is that why you're here?" She asked, confusion plain on her face.

"No!" I said, too quickly. "I- I mean, no. We have a place to stay. I was actually wondering if Maggie and I could get checked. Y-you know, for cancer."

Understanding crossed both Annie and Maggie's faces at once. Maggie looked relieved-Annie looked worried.

"Of course, dear. Do you happen to have your medical cards with you?"

I dug them out of my purse, and handed them to Annie, who smiled and motioned for us to follow. She led us down a hallway, making several turns before she opened a door and walked inside. It was a typical doctor appointment room. Bland colors, weird posters, only 2 chairs... But in the middle of the room there was a big machine with what appeared to be places where you put your arms, and silicone sealing the edges. Two sharp needles glinted, hovering just above each arm rest. I shuddered. Ever since I was eight I'd had an irrational fear of needles. An incident where I'd jerked my arm just when the needle came down had made me terrified of needles ever since.

"Okay, you two stay right here, and I'll go get the nurse." Said Annie briskly, and she walked out of the room.

Maggie sat in one of the chairs and glared at me.

"Well what was I supposed to do? Just wait around to see which one of us died first?"

"We might not have it."

"_Might"_

"I don't care if I do! I don't wanna be here."

"Well, neither do I, but it was the right thing to do."

"The right thing would have been C-11."

**Flashback**

_"Well, I'm afraid I have some bad news." The doctor said as he walked back into the waiting room._

_I sat on the edge of my seat. Maggie sat next to me, bouncing in place._

_"Girls, I'm afraid your father has cancer, just like your mother." Said the doctor, putting his hand on my shoulder._

_I closed my eyes._

_"Fortunately, there is something we can do about it." He said, voice lighting up in the way grown up's voices did when they were about to lie to a child. "There is a medicine called C-11 that might help your father get better again, but it does have some risks."_

_"What risks?" I asked, voice quivering._

_"Well... Er... Um... Your father might have a serious reaction to the chemicals in it and..." We stared at him expectantly._

_"He might die."_

**End Flashback**

"Maggie, you know we could never take that chance."

"We both knew he was going to die anyway."

"He might not have died."

"_Might." _She mimicked me.

"Why today? Why do you turn into this sullen, talkative person today?"

"You want me to go back to being a silent freak."

It wasn't a question.

"Maggie, you know I didn't mean it like that."

She stayed quiet. I sank down into a chair, waiting until the nurse came, thinking I might have just thrown off the last person I could trust.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, its The UnderDogs. I'm really sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've been really busy and half grounded. I got caught with my iPhone at school, and my parents got mad. Anyway, I can probably update about once every weekend, mostly on Saturdays. Well, I really hope you guys like this chapter. Shout out to Swagmasterlol and Brina Star's Bestie.**

The doctor spread a bandage over my arm where the needle had pierced it, and tied it.

"All set." He said.

"Thanks." I murmured.

I slid out of my chair, walking behind the doctor as he led me out. I sat in the waiting room for a long time. Eventually I got bored.

"Excuse me." I said to the lady at the window. "Do you know when Maggie Crawford is supposed to get out of her cancer check?"

"Sorry, I don't have a Maggie Crawford on here." She said, looking at the paper.

"Maggie with a 'ie'?" I asked.

"Oh. She should be here in about five minutes."

"Okay." I said unsurely.

About a half hour later, Maggie came out. She glared at me, but I ignored her, and turned to the doctor.

"We have some good news, and some bad news. The good news is that you don't have cancer, which I'm sure your doctor already told you."

I sighed in relief despite my worry.

"The bad news is that Maggie here has leukemia." He said sadly.

I blinked a few times. I hated that he said that with that fake sad smile grown ups used when talking about Maggie. Then the message clicked with me.

*Click*

"Wait... _What_?" I shrieked.

Both Maggie and the doctor recoiled from my voice. I glared at both of them.

Maggie? Maggie and not me?


	6. Chapter 6

Hey, guys. Its The UnderDogs. So this chapter won't be amazing, cause they updated this site or something. I used to type my chapters right on here for lack of a better reason, but now they took out the bold/italic/underlined option and now its just a tiny box for me to type. I don't have Microsoft, so this chapter won't have anything special on it. Sorry about that. Hope you enjoy! Shout out to Theloststorieshogwartz and MaddieLiza. Thanks especially for all the support with this story, its going great for me. (Still Kim's Pov if you were wondering) "So... So Maggie has cancer?" I spluttered. "I'm very sorry." Said the doctor, though I knew he wasn't. I turned to face Maggie, who was still glaring at me. "Maggie..." I murmured. Then I burst in to tears. All my work for my dad, and he died. Then I find out my sister has blood cancer... Leukemia, whatever. What was going to happen? Where was Jack? I needed Jack. We drove home in silence. I turned on the radio to make it seem like we were completely normal people. Maybe we were. Probably not though. I pulled into the garage, and Maggie followed me into the house. She took out a bowl and filled it with ice cream, then marched up to her room. I couldn't blame her, but I wanted to. I pulled out my phone. "Hello?" I asked as soon as Jack picked it up. "Kim? I've been so worried." Came Jack's voice from the other end of the line. "I can take care of myself, silly." I said. Why was a flirting when I needed him so much? Wait... Did I just say I was flirting? "I know." His voice was reluctant, sad. "So, whats up?" He asked. "Nothing much." I lied. Normally he could see through something like this-I was a terrible liar-but he seemed to believe me. "I'm hangin' at my house." He said. "Cool. I'd beg to come over..." I begin playfully. "...but Maggie's in bed and I don't want to leave her right now." "Why? Did something happen to her?" Jack asked. "No, you moron. She's totally unfazed by her dad dyeing." I laughed. "How are you taking it?" Jack asked, ignoring my weak humor. "I'm fine. Sad, I guess. But who wouldn't be?" "..." "Jack?" "Kimmy, there's something I need to tell you." Again, sorry it was short. I really hate this new update. Do you guys know what I could do about it? -The UnderDogs 


	7. Chapter 7

Hey, Guys. Its me, The UnderDogs. Incase you forgot. Well, this chapter is most likely gonna look really weird since I don't have Microsoft Office Word so I'm typing it on "-Notepad". This typing program really sucks, so I'm sorry about that part if it looks weird. Anyway, I haven't been getting big responses for the last chapter, and I'm pretty sure its because I haven't been updating very well. I'm really sorry about that, I'm graduating my school and I have lots of work to do. But I'm trying to do better now, and ideas for the story are always welcome. Not sure who to shout out for now, so I'll just say that my friend (The UInderDogs 2) had a cancer test a little while ago, and the results were negative. Yay! I think. Negative=non cancerous, right? Right. Well, here's the chapter. "Can you come over?" Asks Jack. His voice is nervous, which makes me nervous. Jack never gets nervous. "Sure." I said. "Just let me check on Maggie. I hung up and snuck upstairs, finding Maggie asleep in her bed. "I'm sorry, Mags." I whispered. I kissed her forehead, then took the house keys and my skateboard, and made my way to Jack's house. "Hey, Kim. I was just heading out. Jack's in his room." Said Jack's mom. "Thanks, Mrs. Brewer." I said. She smiled akwardly for a moment, then slipped out the door. I sighed, then headed up the stairs, hanging my board and coat on the hooks by his door. "Hey, Kim." Jack said, smiling at me. "Hey, Jack. What did you want to tell me?" I asked. I was honestyly curious, and Jack laughed at my attempt at nonchalance, "Well..." He looked down nervously. "I was wondering... I know you've been under a lot of stress lately with Maggie and your dad, and I was wondering if maybe you'd want to take a break from that to... Go out with me?" I stared at him blankly for a second. Then his words connected. "M-me... Go out with you?" I asked increduously. "You don't have to if you don't want to." Jack said quickly. "I know you're busy right now. Sorry, I shouldnt have brought this up." "No! I mean... I'd like to go out with you." I felt my cheeks growing warm. "Really?" He asked. "Yeah, really. I was thinking we could go get some ice cream... Or FroYo, since I know you don't like ice cream very much." "Ice cream's fine." I said quickly. "Come on, Kim. I know you. You don't like ice cream as much as you like froyo, and you don't like froyo as much as you like me." He said cockily. I blushed, staying quiet. "Maggie has cancer." I whispered, so quiet I wasn't even sure he heard me. "I know." 


End file.
